Dillon Voyles Primed to Become North’s Best
Dillon Voyles is the best “Class of 2017” basketball player in Northern Nevada.
Period.
Jim Krajewski, prep writer for the Reno Gazette Journal, published an article on October 19th. In the article, Gary Hill-Thomas (who is a well respected basketball figure in Reno) ranked the best players who attended the “Talent Out West Showcase.” Specifically, he ranked the “Class of 2017.”
Marcus Loadholt, Jayden DeJoseph, and Dillon Voyles rounded out the top three. Loadholt and Voyles both made the 2014–2015 “All-Region First Team,” with DeJoseph finding a spot on the “All-Region Second Team.” All three of these players were lucky enough to experience the excitement of varsity basketball as sophomores. Since entering high school, Voyles leads all three of these players with an overall league record of 26–6. Loadholt is second with a record of 24–8, and finally, DeJoseph, with a league record of 13–3 (DeJoseph did not make varsity as a freshman like the other two). No team has won as many playoff games as Voyles’s Galena team (4).
Voyles also has a regional championship under his belt. Voyles showed great leadership as a sophomore on a championship caliber team, beating both Loadholt’s Spanish Springs Cougars and DeJoseph’s Carson Senators on his way to a regional championship.
“It starts with Dillon,” fellow Galena teammate Noah Peck said about the promising junior. “He’s the best leader on our team.” Peck, who played his first varsity year alongside Voyles, praised the junior’s development from freshman year. “He just works so hard on his game…Dillon’s out there in the off season grinding everyday. I respect him for that. He’s always here. It’s awesome.”
Voyles’s teammates aren’t the only ones who praise his leadership ability. The coaching staff recognizes this unmeasurable skill as well. “As a junior he’s kind of taken a lot of the leadership responsibilities… You’re always looking for someone to have on-floor leadership and be a coach on the floor, and I think Dillon brings that,” Galena assistant coach Keegan Bosier said about Voyles. Voyles’s nature to lead will surely help attribute to his future success.
Voyles stands at 6-foot-5, trumping the other two players ranked ahead of him by several inches. His versatility and athleticism are hard to miss, as Voyles can play three positions efficiently. His ball handling skills and high basketball IQ allow him to effectively run the point. Voyles’s long reach and physical nature makes it easy for him to transition into a small or power forward, and come down with hard-fought rebounds.
“He’s quick, so if a team puts a guard on him, he’ll just go post him up. If you’ve got a big guarding him, well now he can use his quickness to get by guys. He’s a matchup nightmare for just about every player in Northern Nevada,” Bosier said. It’s not hard to see that a player with Voyles’s arsenal has the potential to succeed at the next level.
Defensively, Voyles makes his presence felt. His 6-foot-8 wingspan makes it hard for offenses to work their way around this lengthy defender. His ability to read ball-handlers’ eyes and jump passing lanes makes it easy for Voyles to snatch several steals a game.
Voyles’s toughness is also displayed game in and game out. Taking eighteen charges last year helped maintain Voyles’s image as a fearless defender. With 34 blocks to compliment 33 steals, Voyles makes offensives quiver in fear.
Consistency is another underrated value of this highly rated prospect. Voyles shoots 75 percent from the free-throw line, an outstanding number for a sophomore on varsity. Shooting 51 percent on two-point field goals is another impressive mark Voyles is able to achieve.
Voyles’s offensive stats are nothing shy of MVP caliber. Averaging over 10 points, 3.5 assists, 5 rebounds, and a block a game, he is primed for another great year ahead. His efficient shooting percentage and bigger role in Galena’s offense will lead to more polished numbers this upcoming season. “Dillon by three miles,” said highly regarded defender Noah Peck when asked who was the hardest to guard between Voyles, Loadholt, and DeJoseph. It is safe to say that Voyles leaves his mark on just about every player that tries to stop his team from winning.
With a significant production increase from freshman year to sophomore year, it is safe to conclude that this MVP candidate will leave opposing coaches unhappy. His versatility and athletic ability will soon be noticed by coaches at the next level. With key pieces around him, Dillon Voyles should have another progressing year, which could even yield an MVP award and second regional championship.
